Rushdie's close pal Fisher was convinced Ryan would make an ideal match for him, and she played Cupid by arranging for them to meet up.

The writer details the doomed romance in his new memoir Joseph Anton, recalling how Ryan was less than impressed with him and demanded to know, "Why are you so cynical?"

Rushdie also reveals his ex-wife Padma Lakshmi, who he divorced in 2007, "didn't like playing second fiddle" and claims the Top Chef host once complained to him, "When you're there people only want to talk to you."